The right to be there
by Opalix
Summary: Immediately Post HoH. Love talks and fluff that night on the Argo II.


Post HoH. Love talks and fluffs that night on the Argo II.

TITLE: **THE RIGHT TO BE THERE**

Piper drop the sword and wiped her forehead with a towel: practicing with Hazel was exhausting, the girl was never tired. Catching her breath she glanced toward Percy and Annabeth who were standing at the rail.  
Annabeth laid her hand on his cheek, forcing him to face her. Sorrow, concern and sadness were filling his eyes as he pressed his forehead on hers – both his hands took her face, fingers diving into her blonde curls that shone softly in the silver moonlight. Annabeth brushed her lips on his and whispered something. Slowly, a sweet smile of pure happiness appeared on his lips, a look so intimate and full of tenderness that Piper felt the urge to look somewhere else and give them privacy.  
-They're so loving and cute…- Hazel sighed at her side, staring at Percy and Annabeth with that admiring and melancholic look that came from another time. Hazel had that innocent-good-family-girl look sometimes, that it was easy to think she was also naïve.  
-Yeah- Piper murmured -so much that I feel like I shouldn't stare.-  
-Because true love is hard to look at.-  
Piper startled and almost tripped on her feet.  
-You're going to give me a heart stroke- she choked, glaring at her mother, suddenly appeared at their back.  
Aphrodite was stunningly beautiful, as always, but in a tender sort of way. Dark hair – the same chocolate and cinnamon shade of Piper hair, as if she wanted to remind her that she was really her mother – were loosely knotted at her nape and long strands fluttered about her face in the summer breeze. Her eyes were shifting from one color to another, as usual, adjusting to the idea of beauty of the people looking at her, but that night they did not seem to find a compromise – they just keep on shimmering, like the sea surface. Hazel was gaping at the love goddess, her mouth open, unable to speak.  
-Many people told me I can give heart strokes, but they usually were referring to my beauty- the goddess said, teasing her daughter.  
-What are you doing here?- Piper asked suspiciously, ignoring her mother's humorous attitude. Aphrodite pouted, and Piper felt a vague need to throttle her.  
-Can't I come and see how my daughter's faring?-  
-Sorry mom, but you know, to receive a visit from one of our godly parents it's not usually a good omen… it's more like you come and say hey, my darling child, you'd better watch out, you're about to die!-  
A charming laugh broke the silence of the night, and Aphrodite eyes sparkled with sincere fun. -Oh no, Piper, this is really not the case! You already have so much trouble in your future that I would feel kind of intruding in adding more!-  
_Yeah_, thought Piper, _kind of. _  
-Then…?-  
-I'm here because I'm usually attracted to places were so much love is, how does that song says..? "_in the air" _?-  
-You mean you're here for Percy and Annabeth? You're not about to make their life… interesting, aren't you?-  
_Because I don't think Annabeth will be able to stop herself from throwing you down from Olympus this time. _  
-I was not talking only about them. You all have strong feelings for someone. Love shines for me, like a bright dot on a map: the more intense is love, the brighter is the dot. Danger is making you attach more fiercely to the ones you love, it glitters like a star to me- she explained, regarding the young couple at the rail with plain affection -even if not all of you can express that feeling so openly.-  
Piper felt a sparkle of hope warming her heart: they all have someone to fight for, and that love was going to make them stronger. Leo too, apparently – she didn't even think to doubt her mother word on it: if the goddess of love said "all of you" it had to mean something. But a second thought dawned.  
-If all of this attracts you, wouldn't it attract also less friendly… _entities_?-  
_A giant supposed to oppose you, for instance. _  
Aphrodite shrugged.  
-Possibly. But titan, giants, and gods too, with a few exceptions, usually tend to underestimate the hope and motivation love can give to mortals and demigods. Motivation brings strength, strength brings power. You all are going to become as powerful as you can be, if you just let yourselves be guided by love, my dear, and none of your enemies is going to calculate what you can really do in the end.-  
A ghostly, yet affectionate, caress touched Piper cheek and the goddess was gone, leaving behind a sweet scent of summer fruits and a warm sense of faith and confidence.

_**When it's love you make  
(I'll be the fire in your night)  
Then it's love you take  
(I will defend I will fight)  
I'll be there when you need me  
When honor's at stake  
This vow I will make  
That it's all for one, and all for love.  
- Bryan Adams, All for love -**_

Jason had left the helm to Frank for the first shift of the night and was going to take some rest in his room. The corridor leading to the cabins was weakly lit by the bluish light of the stars. Jason stopped, seeing Annabeth entering her room, pulling Percy inside by the hand. Percy looked around, met Jason's eyes with a glance that managed to be guilty and daring at the same time, then rushed in and closed the door behind him.  
Jason felt someone at his back but did not turn around.  
-Why do I feel like I should knock at that door and yell Percy to get out?-  
Piper chuckled, resting her chin on his shoulder.  
-Because you're the responsible one, and coach isn't here to freak out. But I don't think you need to worry, it's not like that.-  
Jason turned his head and brushed his lips on her forehead.  
-I guess you're the most likely to know, being your mother's daughter and everything.-  
Piper snorted and moved herself in front of him. As always, whenever she stopped touching him, he felt cold, as if she was a warm blanket that someone stole from him in the middle of the night. And, as usual, he couldn't get himself to put that feeling in words - not even in his head.  
-Jason, you don't need to be related to the goddess of love to understand this!- she said, looking straight into his eyes. –They fell into Tartarus and came back, together. I cannot even imagine the horrible thing they had to face down there. They earned the right to be there for each other when the nightmares come!-  
Jason nodded and tried to smile, but his eyes were cheerless. Piper couldn't stop herself to wrap her arms around his waist.  
-Besides, even if they need some… _physical closeness_, to reassure themselves that they're not among the dead anymore, well, I believe they deserve that too- she said with a cheerful smile. Dark strands were slipping away from her braid, and her lovely eyes were as sweet as dark chocolate. Jason bent his head to kiss her goodnight.

She was already on her way along the corridor when he called her back, with a hoarse voice that betrayed some kind of emotion.  
-I know I'm not Percy Jackson, who cares nothing about rules, and is able to hold your hand and charge proudly against the world. But I love you, Piper… maybe I just need to be in less continuous danger to be able to show it better.-  
Piper's eyes shone in the moonlight.  
-I know, Jason- she said, softly –and I'm not looking for a Percy Jackson. They have their own story behind, so many shared moments and adventures… we will have ours. We've known each other so briefly!-  
Jason reach for her hand and pulled her in his arms, his shoulder resting against the wall as if he wanted for the dark shadows of the corridor to hide and protect that intimate moment.  
-I'd just like to know that we're all safe, so I don't have to feel guilty for each moment I enjoy having you at my side… as if I was steeling time or energy to the "saving the world" thing.-  
-Yeah, at this rate when we'll be in our fifties maybe we will have some time for a movie…- Jason grinned bitterly, and tightened his arms around her slender body.  
-I'm sorry. I know that more than once in this quest I survived only because we were together. I should waste less time thinking…- his voice trailed off, as if he had said something he didn't really wanted to let out.  
-Thinking of what?- asked Piper.  
Jason sighed and opened his mouth a couple of time, looking for words that weren't coming. Piper looked up in his face, her eyes full of concern and questions.  
-I met Cupid in Diocletian palace. I haven't told you.- he said.  
_Eros.  
Aphrodite's son. _  
Just the thought that the love god was her half-brother gave her a headache.  
-How was him?- she asked.  
_What did he told you? What did he do to you to make you so sad? _  
-He was different from what I expected… different from your mother, anyway.-  
Piper thought of the charming, playful smile of Aphrodite, her impossibly beautiful features and ever-changing eyes.  
-Was he ugly?-  
-No, you'd call him handsome, I guess. But he was harsh, almost bitter… as if he was incarnating the cruel side of love. It made me sad that it was him telling me that I already have my true love at my side.-  
Piper stepped back, keeping him at arm distance.  
-You mean that for you loving me is like… what, a cruel joke Cupid inflicted on you?-  
-No! no… it just means that being with you constantly reminds me that I do not belong to my old life anymore. I've lost it. I chose a new life and I would do it again, a thousand times. But the choice was not… painless.-  
Piper took his face in her hands and brushed her thumbs on his cheekbones.  
-It's not lost, Jason. You must believe that Nico and Reyna will succeed, and that we will manage to save the world. You have to trust not only yourself, but all of your friends, and all the love and friendship we share. And you must be hopeful for us. A future will come when both your old world and the new one will be safe, and they will not be separated anymore and your choice will not have any reason to be! That will be our moment… when risking our lives every once in a while will not mean every once in a while _during the same day_!-

_**Don't lay our love to rest  
Cause we could stand up to the test  
We got everything and more than we had planned  
More than the rivers that run inland  
We got it all in our hands  
Now it's all for one and all for love  
Let the one you hold be the one you want  
The one you need.  
- Bryan Adams, All for Love - **_

-Hey, sailor boy!-  
Frank looked at Leo, smiling even if his eyes were red with tiredness.  
-Your turn? It's already two?-  
-Yeah, uncle Leo takes up the night shift.-  
Leo glanced at Hazel who had fallen asleep on a blanket while trying to keep Frank company.  
-Well, she's definitely cheering you up.-  
-She gave up a couple of hours ago.-  
-You'd better take her to bed.-  
-Yeah, I will…- said Frank, then blushed purple thinking on how the sentence might have sounded. – I mean, I will bring her to her cabin, then I will go to bed. In mine. –  
Leo laughed.  
-Calm down, man. Not my business. You wouldn't even be the only one sleeping in someone else's room.-  
-What?-  
-Percy- said Leo, laconically.  
-Oh-  
Percy had been Frank personal hero, since their quest to free Thanatos, he was the very incarnation of how a demigod should be. Seeing the most human side of the hero made him uncomfortable. Leo showed his best easy-going and reassuring grin.  
-Hey, there's a definite possibility that we are sailing to our death, dude! For what is worth, they have my blessing if they want to spend as much time as possible together, since they can…-  
The last three words were just muttered but Frank caught them anyway, and couldn't avoid asking. -While you were away, you did meet someone, didn't you?-  
Leo's gaze was fixed on the shimmering reflection of the moonlight on the waves, looking for something that was as far away as the moon itself.  
-Yes.-  
-And… who was she?-  
-A goddess- Leo whispered.  
Frank whistled quietly.  
-Dude, you're not the one to fall for the next-door girl-  
Leo's laugh held a melancholic, bittersweet edge.  
-Would you call Hazel a _next-door girl_?-  
Frank smiled, regarding his girl with fondness.  
-Not really.-  
-None of the girl on this ship is like that. They're not girls you can prove to be worth of just by giving them flowers and math tuition. They're goddesses, without the detail of immortality. So, dude, I guess we're in the same boat… mine is just a little less close by at the moment.-  
Frank patted Leo's back, then he effortlessly scooped Hazel up in his arms.  
-Let's hope we are not sailing to our death, then, so we will have the chance to get your girl. You deserve it. We all will have earned the right at something beautiful after such troubles.-

_**I was standing at the edge of the water  
I noticed my reflection in the waves  
Then I saw you looking back at me  
And I knew that for a moment  
You were calling out my name.  
-Dram Theater, Take away my pain-**_

Percy woke with a scream and Annabeth was already hugging him tightly.  
-It's ok, it's ok…- she chanted, cradling him –we're together.-  
The boy let out a trembling breath, his heart racing so fast that it seemed ready to break his ribcage. He sat up on the bed, put his elbows on his knees, head in his hands, and felt heavy drops of cold sweat running on his forehead. Annabeth arms were around his shoulders and it felt like she was the only unmoving object during an earthquake.  
-It's not supposed to be like this at seventeen, isn't it?- he whispered, almost choking in his breath. –My worst nightmares should be about you kissing a taller guy, not of you dying and me not able to save you…-  
Annabeth tightened her embrace and rested her head on shoulderblades.  
-Demigods grow up faster, Percy- she said –We feel more intensely, we love more fiercely than mortals of our age.-  
Percy's hand covered hers and brushed her skin.  
-Every time I loose you in my dreams, it feels like something inside me dies for real.-  
She made him turn and face her.  
-I'm here. I'm alive.-  
The cabin was barely lightened, and her stormy eyes looked almost silver, shining with emotion. -Come here- she said, pulling him down on the pillow.  
In spite of the warm July night, Percy was freezing cold and Annabeth pressed herself against his body, as if to share some warmth. His eyes were still wide open and hunted by the nightmare.  
-You can close your eyes, I'm not going anywhere.-  
He didn't answer, just kept looking at her, his hand on her side, caressing slowly. Annabeth felt his fingers on her bare skin and instinctively shifted to pull her t-shirt down.  
-Please,- Percy murmured, -I need to feel it. That you're warm, and alive.-  
Annabeth kissed him, then rolled on her back pulling Percy's head on her chest.  
-Can you hear it?- she asked softly, running her small fingers in his dark hair. –It's beating.-  
_It beats for you. Because of you. _  
She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, but it was there, in every breath she took, that raised and lowered her breasts. Percy listened to that regular, reassuring sound and closed his eyes, lost in the scent of her skin and the worm feeling of her body pressed to his.

_**And when you find yourself lying helpless in her arms  
You know you really love a woman.  
-Brian Adams, Have you ever really loved a woman-**_

Percy opened his eyes. The grayish light of sunrise was coming from the window, but the cabin was still mostly dark. A couple of inches from his eyes, Annabeth breasts rose, barely veiled by the thin t-shirt she used for sleeping.  
-I know you're awake.-  
Percy groaned.  
-And why the hell are _you _awake, already?- he muttered.  
-It's not like you're a feather, Seaweed Brain. Move away, I can hardly breath- she said.  
-Mpf…- Percy shifted his head on the pillow, a crossed look in his still sleepy eyes.  
-I was enjoying the view- he complained.  
Annabeth slapped him not so gently, but she was fighting hard not to smile.  
-Agh, c'mon! I wasn't even touching…-  
The girl sat up, laughing.  
-Where are you going?- he asked, alarmed, and looked at the clock. –It's five in the morning! We're due at the helm at eight!-  
-I can't sleep anymore.-  
Percy got up and wrapped his arms on her waist, his legs around her, making it impossible for Annabeth to stand up.  
-Percy!- she chuckled.  
He gently moved her long hair, gaining access to the skin of her neck and nape, which he kissed, slowly.  
-That was the best night of my life- he whispered, hoarsely.  
-You mean because you slept with me?- asked Annabeth, smiling. Percy smirked, with that smug grin that Annabeth had learned to love through those years of friendship. She blushed, thinking of what those words might have meant, had the situation been different.  
-Yeah,- Percy said, his voice unintentionally husk and sexy, -because I slept on the best pillow ever.-  
-Let's hope we will have the chance to better this once this quest is finished…- she whispered, untrusting her voice.  
Percy blushed too, then, his eyes full of desires and expectations that weren't those of an innocent little boy.  
-Well, we're lucky there are no other Poseidon children sleeping in cabin three.-  
Annabeth laughed. –Chiron would freak out!-  
-Then you'd better exhibit your best skills as daughter of the goddess of strategy.-  
She tilted her head to kiss him but he held back thinking that yeah, morning kisses were great in movies, but he didn't really want to let her know if his mouth tasted as if a dead rat was putrefying inside it.  
-Don't you dare to move, I'll be back in a minute-

_**We've been to hell and back again  
And through it all you're always my best friend.  
-Bon Jovi, All About Loving You-**_

It was really a couple of minutes and he was back, wearing jeans but no t-shirt, just a towel around his neck. His black hair weren't combed – or, if he tried to it didn't show – and his eyes were sparkling with mischief.  
-Jason must have heard I was back in my room than out again…- he said, shutting the door, than he stopped and glared at Annabeth, who was already dressed and brushing her long hair at the mirror. -Haven't I told you not to move?- he pointed out.  
She showed him her tongue in the mirror.  
-When exactly have I given you the impression that I'm ready to follow you order?-  
Percy laughed, crossing the room and taking her in his arms. After Tartarus, she was still thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be able to see anything but her beloved eyes, so impossibly grey, so astonishingly alive.  
-Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?- he whispered.  
Annabeth smiled.  
-We never had that much time for compliments. And I did not have time to take care of myself lately, between risking my life for my mother and trying to come back from hell.-  
-You don't need to, you were beautiful to me, even… down there.-  
Annabeth felt a knot in her throat: she was unable to smile, unable to find a joke, and afraid to fall apart, crying, like a stupid little girl.  
-I love you- she choked, kissing him fiercely.

Annabeth lost herself in the kiss, and in that scent of salt water that she always found on his lips; she didn't even know if that feeling to be kissing a sea creature was real, or if it was a joke of her mind. She didn't care. Suddenly she found her back pressed against the wall of the cabin, and moaned softly, feeling the cold on the bare skin of her back… she realized that her t-shirt was riding up and, shutting down the most rational part of her brain, she let Percy's hands slide up.  
Percy smiled against her lips and slowly took her t-shirt off her head. She blushed, finding herself in a cotton bra only, mostly hidden by the cascade of blonde curls that showered on her shoulders, but Percy wasn't looking at her body: he held her tightly and let out a shaking breath at the feeling of their bare skin pressed together. He closed his eyes, letting Annabeth gently stroke his shoulder and chest, slowly, taking some time in exploring each other for the first time in their short relationship.  
They found themselves wrapped in a tight hug, sharing messy kisses and caresses, unable to properly coordinate. They tripped and fell laughing on Annabeth bed, rolling until Percy was almost above her, supporting his weight on his arms. Suddenly, both of them went silent, staring in each other eyes.  
Percy kissed her deeply, and deliberately slow, shifting a little more on top of her. Annabeth pressed her body against his and bent her knee so that her inner thigh was brushing his bare side. The boy moaned quietly against her lips, his hand running on the soft skin of her legs, exposed by the shorts. To have so much of their skin suddenly touching was intoxicating and Annabeth let out a small gasp, feeling his erection pushing hard on her leg. Percy startled and moved quickly, blushing.  
-I'm sorry- he murmured.  
-Don't be.-  
Annabeth smiled sweetly, and kissed him. His seagreen eyes were dark with desire, but loving and caring as they always were.  
-But I think we should stop here,- she said with a bit of sadness, -we are not alone on this ship. They're giving us some space because of what we've been through in Tartarus, but it wouldn't be… _proper_ to go on.-  
-Yeah,- Percy sighed, hiding his face in her neck, breathing, trying to regain control of himself.  
-You're right Wise Girl, as usual.-  
Annabeth hugged him tightly.  
-I want it too, Percy, you know it- she whispered.  
-Shut up,- he muffled, -you're not making this easy.-  
-You know I never do, Seaweed Brain.-  
Percy playfully slap her buttock and Annabeth giggled.  
-Ok, ok, I'm gonna help now: imagine how painfully my mother would kill you if you get me pregnant now.-  
Percy groaned.  
-That was mean! But, yeah, I guess picturing your mother is going to work.-  
The boy rolled on his back, pulling Annabeth on his chest.  
-She was right, you know?- he whispered.  
The girl raised her head and looked straight into his eyes.  
-About what?-  
-My fatal flaw,- he said simply. -I would damn the world for you. If I have to choose I'll save you and let the Olympus fall into Tartarus and rot.-  
Well, Annabeth thought fighting back tears, that was a hell of a declaration. Untrusting her voice she kissed him passionately.  
-You won't need to choose, Percy. I'll be there, at your side, when you will have to save the world. And we will have a life together, we earned the right at that.-  
Percy smiled of pure and intense joy.  
-A life together?- he teased her, -are you gonna let me annoy you that long?-  
-I will be very crossed if you don't- she answered, jumping out of the bed. -Let's go hero, we have a world to save, a very bad goddess to stop, a bunch of giants to kill and all the usual stuff.-

_**I walk beside you  
Wherever you are  
Whatever it takes  
No matter how far  
Through all that may come  
And all that may go  
I walk beside you  
-Dream Theater, "I walk beside you"- **_

**THE END**


End file.
